The team’s remaining 10 riders – Tomas Alberio, Mauricio Ardila, David Blanco, Marco Corti, Xavier Florencio, David Gutierrez, Dimitriy Kozontchuk, Marco Kump, Matteo Pelucchi and Daniele Ratto – were introduced via video, as they were racing in the Tour of Qatar and the Tour of Oman.

After a moving video presentation detailing Sastre and Menchov’s greatest victories, the riders rode their Fuji Altamira road bikes through a sea of smoke on to the stage for an official introduction to the media.

At the presentation, GEOX Chairman Mario Polegato shared why the company decided to sponsor a professional cycling team in 2011.

“We have chosen to enter cycling not just for pure sponsorship but also to test our unique, patented technologies in the extreme discipline of cycling,” he explained, referencing GEOX’s “Respira” shoe and apparel breathable, waterproof technology.

GEOX, headquartered in Montebelluna, Italy, is one of the top footwear brands in the world and produces more than 20 million pairs of shoes annually.

Co-sponsors of the the team also include Diadora, Servetto, Footon, Carrera, and Cantabria Infinita.

GEOX-TMC is off to a rocky start. The team was denied a 2011 ProTeam license which means they are not guaranteed entry to the major tours. The Tour de France announced their team invitations on January 20th and GEOX-TMC was left out in the cold, also leaving Carlos Sastre and Denis Menchov who finished 3rd last year in the TdF, out of the race. Perhaps there will be better news for them in the future.

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